DOT Bans Texting by Truckers, Bus Drivers

Effective immediately, truck and bus drivers are subject to fines of up to $2,750 for texting and driving. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood promises more rules and regulations designed to curb texting while driving.

The U.S. Department of Transportation banned texting by drivers of
commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses Jan. 26, effective
immediately. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles
may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data shows that drivers who send
and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6
seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting. At 55 miles per hour, this
means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including
the end zones, without looking at the road.

"Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab,"
FMSCA Administrator Anne Ferro said in a statement. "We want to make it
crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is
the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to
prohibit."

According to the FMCSA, drivers who text while driving are more than 20 times
more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers. Because of the
safety risks associated with the use of electronic devices while driving, the FMCSA
is also working on additional regulatory measures that will be announced in the
coming months.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the months ahead DOT will propose
additional legal remedies and develop tools that will allow federal authorities
to coordinate with the law enforcement community, safety advocates, researchers
and others to find new ways to raise awareness and bring an end to the dangers
posed by distracted driving.

"This guidance is effective immediately. It applies to interstate truck
drivers. It also applies generally to commercial bus or van drivers who carry
more than eight passengers," LaHood said. "To put this dangerous
behavior in perspective, researchers at Virginia Tech found that truck drivers
who send text messages on a cell phone are about 23 times more likely to get
into some type of crash or near-miss than drivers who keep their eyes on the
road."